AFRICA: Kenyans prepared to march for greater national security ahead of a candlelit vigil on the final day of mourning for the 148 people killed by al Shabab militants.

AMERICAS: In Mexico, gang gunmen opened fire on a Jalisco state security convoy, killing an undetermined number of people.

ASIA: In Nepal, opposition protesters clashed with police and set vehicles on fire in Katmandu as they enforced a nationwide general strike.

EUROPE: A Turkish court acquitted the last 62 military officers jailed over an alleged 2003 plot to oust then-prime minister Erdogan.

MIDDLE EAST: The WHO reported that fighting in Yemen over the past few weeks has killed more than 540 people and wounded 1,700.

TECHNOLOGY: A survey of critical infrastructure organizations in North and South America by the Organization of American States said that hacking attacks that destroy rather than steal data are far more prevalent than widely believed.

TOP STORY

Iran: US President Obama, international community speak on proposed nuclear deal amid regional instability.

Saudi Arabia’s ambassador to the US Adel Jubeir said that he is optimistic the deal will be concluded.

US President Obama said he would continue to work with US partners to address Iran’s “destabilizing activities” in the Middle East during a phone call with Oman’s Sultan Qaboos.

US President Obama rejected Israeli PM Netanyahu’s call for Iran to recognize the state of Israel as part of a final nuclear deal.

US President Barack Obama said Iran would be kept a year away from obtaining a nuclear weapon for more than a decade, but conceded that the buffer period could shrink to almost nothing after 13 or more years.

Turkish President Erdogan began a visit to the country Iran despite tensions with Tehran over the crisis in Yemen.

Region: The remains of the No. 2 commander in the Lord’s Resistance Army were positively identified after having been exhumed three months ago in a Uganda-led military expedition. (NYT)

Kenya: People across the country prepared to march for greater national security ahead of a candlelit vigil on the final day of mourning for the 148 people killed by al Shabab militants. (AFP)

South Africa: State security reported that a 15-year-old girl was pulled from a flight moments before trying to leave the country to join ISIS jihadists, state security said. (AFP)

AMERICAS

Chile: The congressional health committee approved a bill that would legalize the cultivation of marijuana for private recreational or medicinal use, sending it to the floor for a full debate. (AFP)

Cuba: Local media reported that restoring diplomatic ties with the country will not automatically make the US a preferential trade partner. (Xinhua)

Mexico: Gang gunmen opened fire on a Jalisco state security convoy, killing an undetermined number of people. (AFP)

ASIA

Region: Vietnam sent a high-ranking delegation of Communist Party officials and Cabinet ministers to China as the countries seek to mend relations strained by China’s deployment of an oil rig in disputed waters. (AP)

Afghanistan: Amnesty International said the country is turning its back on female activists and leaving them vulnerable to threats and assassinations. (AFP)

Malaysia: Parliament passed a tough anti-terrorism law which opponents denounced as a harsh blow for civil rights. (AFP)

Nepal: Opposition protesters clashed with police and set vehicles on fire in Katmandu as they enforced a nationwide general strike. (WSJ)

EUROPE

Germany: Greek Junior finance minister Dimitris Mardas said that Germany owes Greece more than USD306 billion in war payments. (AFP)

Turkey: Twitter, Facebook and YouTube began functioning in the country normally again after Ankara lifted a ban it imposed on them over images of a prosecutor killed in a hostage standoff. (AFP)

Turkey: A court acquitted the last 62 military officers jailed over an alleged 2003 plot to oust then-prime minister Erdogan. (Reuters)

Ukraine: Two bomb attacks hit Kharkiv causing some damage but no casualties. (AFP)

MIDDLE EAST

Iran: Local media reported that eight border guards were killed in a clash with Sunni rebels who had crossed the border from Pakistan. (AFP)

Iraq: Officials said that forensic teams in Tikrit have started exhuming bodies from a mass grave believed to contain hundreds of soldiers killed by ISIS last year. (AP)

Palestinian Territories: UN ambassador Riyad Mansour said his government is ready to see if the UNSC has “the political will” to adopt a resolution with a deadline for ending Israel’s occupation and establishing a Palestinian state. (AP)

Yemen: The WHO reported that fighting in the country over the past few weeks has killed more than 540 people and wounded 1,700. (AFP)

TECHNOLOGY AND COMMUNICATIONS

Cybersecurity: A survey of critical infrastructure organizations in North and South America by the Organization of American States said that hacking attacks that destroy rather than steal data are far more prevalent than widely believed. (Reuters)